1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to devices for storing and dispensing medications.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
There are several medicine organizers and pill dispensers present in the prior art, but none of which disclose the invention that pertains to this application. U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,247 (Majka, 1978) describes a pill dispenser which is a key operated device and does not let the user put bottles with medicine, unlike the Bowman invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,606 (Lewis, 1986) discloses an automatic pill dispenser and method of administering medical pills, which has a photoelectric pill detector, yet does not foresee handling of bottles with medication. U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,580 (Messer, 1986) pertains to a unit dose medication dispenser where the user consumes medicine by hand and no bottle handling is foreseen. U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,810 (Christiansen, 1988) relates to a medication dispenser that has a microprocessor and does not foreseen handling of bottles of medication. U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,199 (Aguilera, 1988) refers to a daily pocket pill organizer that is a compartmented pocket size cylindrical dispenser of pills with a removable top. U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,560 (George et al, 1999) describes a compartmentalized pill dispenser with a plurality of pill cavities but that does not involve bottle handling. U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,103 (Clarijs, 2001) discloses a pill dispenser with a base plate, a cover, holding means for pills and aperture for releasing pill, but no handling of medicine bottles. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,535 (Rickert, 2002) relates to a pill organizer with a plurality of drawers but using no medicine bottles. Therefore, the prior art does not include a medicine organizer device in which the user can consume the medication directly from a bottle containing medication. Thus, this invention prevents the user's direct hand contact with the medicine, dropping the medication to the ground, and sanitary problems. For all of these reasons, the Bowman invention is a new and useful device subject to patent protection.